Rolling table



April 5, 1966 P. W. MOLVAR R6LLING TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 30, 1964 I (Ill/A @Q wwwk l m. .&m WM JJ- SQ .Q l w Sm Q m o1 INVENTOR PERRY W. MOLVAR ATTORNEY P. W. MOLVAR April 5, '1966 ROLLING TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 50, 1964 o coooooo o 2 ll l l J INVENTOR PERRY W. MOLVAR ATTORNEY P. W. MOLVAR April 5, 1966 ROLLING TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 30, 1964 R A w R Y E W J; N 4 EW 0 V W m A R E P United States Patent 3,244,181 ROLLING TABLE Perry W. Molvar, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 363,749 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-51) This invention relates to a cigar bunch rolling mechanism, and more particularly to the construction and operation of the rolling apron or chianti belt of such a machine.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide method and apparatus for operating a rolling table at speeds of a higher order than has been heretofore possible. It is a particular object of the invention to devise a structure wherein the recipricatory motion of the rolling pin is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rolling table at which a plurality of pins may be employed so that formation of the pocket and engagement by the rolling pin for the succeeding bunch occurs immediately following the discharge of the prior bunch without awaiting the return motion of the pin.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rolling apron in conjunction with a rolling table having rolling pins moving in the forward or rolling direction only between the rolling apron and the rolling table, the pins returning beneath the rolling table. Still another object of the invention is to devise a novel and useful means for guiding and operating a rolling pin so as to eliminate reciprocation of the pin beneath the rolling apron in order to increase the speed of the bunch end of a cigar machine without necessarily increasing the actual rolling speed of the bunch.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the arrangement and parts hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a bunch rolling table in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of :the same.

FIG. 3 is a sectional end elevation taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

To the bed plate 10, there are secured the four vertical supporting legs 12, each of which has a suitable arm 14 supporting the bottom of the chambered rolling table 16. Table 16 has an upper surface member 18 spaced from and connected to a bottom member 22 by suitable side members to form a central vacuum chamber 20. Vacuum chamber 28 communicates through a duct 24 with a source of suction, not shown. The upper surface member 18 of table 16 has suitable openings 26 through which chamber 28 applies suction to the openings 28 of rolling apron or chianti belt 30.

The rearward supporting legs 12 are provided with suitable lugs 32 to which are mounted the bearings 34 supporting the sprocket shaft 36. Sprocket shaft 38 is rotatably supported by a suitable bearing in the frame of the machine and a bearing bracket 39 secured to the front end face of vacuum chamber 20. To shafts 36 and 38 are keyed the sprockets 48 and 42 around which run the paired spaced chains 44, 45, each in a racetrack course.

A pair of rolling pins 46, 48 are mounted on a horizontal shaft 60 each of which is rotatably supported in a pair of spaced bearings lugs 50, 52 secured to the chains 44, 45 and spaced from each other 180 about the course as may be clearly seen by reference to FIG. 1.

Patented Apr. 5, 1966 ice The shaft 36 is an idler shaft, while shaft 38 is driven and synchronized through suitable gears 54, 56, and 58 connected to the main drive of the machine. Each rolling pin supporting shaft 60 at its outer ends carry a pair of rollers 64. The rollers 64 are employed to engage with longitudinal guide tracks 66 to guide the roller pins 46, 48 properly across the rolling table. The guides 66 are supported by the brackets 68 secured tothe uprights 12.

The forward end of the chianti belt 30 is anchored on a stationary shaft 70 supported by the bracket 72 on the bed plate 10. The rearward end of the belt is secured in a takeup roller 74 supported by suitable brackets 76. The takeup roller withdraws the apron in a known manner as a rolled bunch is delivered from the pocket to transfer grippers 108. The belt is trained over an idler 78 supported by a bearing boss 80 extending from the bottom of the measuring chamber 82.

The horizontal measuring chamber 82 may be of the type shown in FIG. 1 of the patent to Halstead 2,021,652 having a compressing plunger 84 operated by means not shown, a charge cut-off knife 86 and a transfer device 88 having an expelling plunger 90. The transfer 88 is rotatably mounted in a bearing boss 92 integral with a slide 94 siideable on a stationary shaft 96.

The means and mode of operation of the transfer 88 is clearly described in the aforesaid patent to Halstead 2,021,652. As used herein, the transfer 88 has the dual function of aiding in the formation of the pocket P as well as transferring the charge thereto.

At the time of deposition of the charge C the roller 78 maintains the height of the belt 38 sufficiently :to permit the advancing pin 46 to engage the belt above and behind the formed pocket P. As the chain moves forwardly above the rolling table the pin by its roller 64 engages and is held down by the guide 66. Thus pin 46 advances across the table rolling the bunch in a wellknown manner. Toward its forward end or delivery edge, the rolling table slopes downwardly at 98 while the pin by virtue of the guide 66 and the location of the shaft 38 continues horizontally. This opens the pocket P to deliver the bunch B into the waiting transfer grippers 100. At this time the takeup of the roller 74 may be made to snap the pocket out of the belt. As the arm 102 of transfer grippers swings in the direction of the arrow the jaws 104 of transfer grippers 108 are permitted to close under the urging of spring 106, the finger 108 being withdrawn from the stationary adjustable stop 110. As the pin 46 reaches the full line position of pin 48, pin 48 is ready to make the next subsequent pass across the rolling table. Thus the chain 44 travels one half revolution for each cycle.

What is claimed is:

1. An elongated, substantially horizontal cigar bunch rolling table, a rolling apron overlying said table, means to depress a pocket portion of said apron adjacent a first end of said table, a rolling pin, means supporting said rolling pin and operative when activated to move said rolling pin behind said pocket and across the upper surface of said rolling table, said apron and formed pocket being in rolling contact between said rolling pin and table, takeup means engaging at least one end of said apron to withdraw said apron from said rolling pin as said rolling pin reaches a second end of said table distant from said first end, said supporting means returning said rolling pin beneath said table, bunch transfer means adjacent said second end and substantially horizontal guide tracks to guide said rolling pin until said pocket is adjacent said transfer means.

2. A substantially horizontal cigar bunch rolling table, a chianti belt overlying said table, belt securing means spaced from each end of said table, a pair of spaced endless conveyors supporting a pair of spaced rolling pins therebetween, said pair of conveyors being positioned and arranged parallel and adjacent said table to move said pin forwardly above said table from a first to a second end thereof while conveying a cigar bunch in a bight' in said belt, and rearwardly beneath said table in an endless path, bunch transfer means adjacent said second end, and substantially horizontal guide tracks to guide each of said rolling pins on each forward traverse of said table to a position adjacent said transfer means.

3. A rolling table in accordance with claim 1', in which said transfer comprises a gripper having a pair of coacting jaws for gripping a cigar bunch, means for displacing one of said jaws into a bunch receiving position and control means for actuating said displacing means when said pocket is adjacent said transfer.

4. A rolling table in accordance with claim 2 in which said transfer has a gripper for gripping a bunch when said bight is moved into a position adjacent said gripper, jaws on said gripper, means for actuating said jaws into a bunch receiving position as said transfer moves toward 4 said table, means for actuating said jaws into a bunch gripping position as said transfer moves away from said table, and means for withdrawing said bight and releasing said bunch when said jaws are in said receiving position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 299,818 6/1884 Mann 13152 X 591,250 10/1897 Georgii 131-87 X 1,011,252 12/1911 Scaife et a1 131-5l 1,484,015 2/1924 Ferguson 53-215 X 1,888,789 11/1932 Clausen 131-51 X 2,021,652 11/1935 Halstead 13131 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,381 5/1890 Switzerland. 55,657 3/1891 Germany.

1,313,741 11/1962 France.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

H. P. DEELEY, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL CIGAR BUNCH ROLLING TABLE, A ROLLING APRON OVERLYING SAID TABLE, MEANS TO DEPRESS A POCKET PORTION OF SAID APRON ADJACENT A FIRST END OF SAID TABLE, A ROLLING PIN, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID ROLLING PIN AND OPERATIVE WHEN ACTIVATED TO MOVE SAID ROLLING PIN BEHIND SAID POCKET AND ACROSS THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID ROLLING TABLE, SAID APRON AND FORMED POCKET BEING IN ROLLING CONTACT BETWEEN SAID ROLLING PIN AND TABLE, TAKEUP MEANS ENGAGING AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID APRON TO WITHDRAW SAID APRON FROM SAID ROLLING PIN AS SAID ROLLING PIN REACHES A SECOND END OF SAID TABLE DISTANT FROM SAID FIRST END, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS RETURNING SAID ROLLING PIN BENEATH SAID TABLE, BUNCH TRANSFER MEANS ADJACENT SAID SECOND END AND SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL GUIDE TRACKS TO GUIDE SAID ROLLING PIN UNTIL SAID POCKET IS ADJACENT SAID TRANSFER MEANS. 